Our Correspondent
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) on November 23 unveiled the logo of the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM) which will be the first Emirati and Arab mission to explore the Moon. It bears the personal signature of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, one of the UAE’s founding fathers, and father of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The ELM project includes the development and launch of ‘Rashid’, the first Emirati lunar rover, named after the late Sheikh Rashid who played a significant role in the formation of the Union and whose vision had an impact on every sector. Not surprisingly, his legacy has inspired the first Arab mission to the Moon.
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in September and designed and developed fully by an Emirati team, ELM supports the UAE’s efforts to develop the space sector in the region.
Elements of the logo design have symbolic significance. The colour scheme evokes the moon’s surface and the image of the moon on the logo, and highlights the fact that the mission is the Arab world’s first foray to the lunar surface. Another prominent feature of the logo is the UAE flag and seven stars representing the seven emirates of the UAE.
The late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed sparked off Dubai’s renaissance with his far-reaching long-term vision. His vision was aligned with that of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who worked side by side with Sheikh Rashid to unify the seven Emirates and establish the UAE.
The Rashid Lunar Rover will land on an area of the Moon’s surface that has not been studied or explored by any previous lunar exploration mission. The Lunar Rover will test new exploration techniques on the Moon, which will help assess the UAE’s capabilities before embarking on manned missions to Mars.
The Mission is inspired by the UAE’s vision to promote an Arab scientific renaissance and capitalise on the country’s achievements in the space sector over the past decade. A moon mission is an ideal opportunity to test new technologies and equipment that can be used in future space explorations, including Mars.
The ELM is part of the Mars 2117 Programme, which aims to build the first human settlement on Mars.
The logo we chose for the 1st Emirati & Arab moon exploration project will bear the signature of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who steered Dubai’s development and transformed it into a modern metropolis. Many great projects in the emirate carry his signature. pic.twitter.com/5FSwSeDZ7k
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 23, 2020
